This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
On October 22, 2019, the Business Daily Africa published an editorial highlighting the struggles of Kenya's rice farmers.
Despite the country's rice production being a crucial component of its food security, the sector faces numerous challenges. The Auditor-General's report revealed that the Western Kenya Rice Mills, a State-owned miller, is technically insolvent, with a milling capacity of 3.5 metric tonnes per hour.
The Lake Victoria region rice belt, which has a total installed milling capacity of about 20 metric tonnes per hour, is underutilized. This is due to the high cost of production, with farmers being forced to dry their rice up to 13 percent moisture content or to winnow their cereals, unlike foreign buyers who do not impose such conditions.
As a result, the State-owned rice millers are mostly idle, while the country continues to import two-thirds of its annual rice requirements. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the government has not provided adequate support to rice farmers, including inputs such as seeds, chemicals, and fertilizers.
However, the advent of devolution has seen agriculture moved to counties, but farmers are yet to start receiving the necessary support. For instance, the Ahero Rice Scheme, which started more than three decades ago, has seen its production rate decline from 45 bags of paddy per acre to 12 to 16 bags per acre due to high production costs.
To achieve food security and sufficiency, counties must pay adequate attention to rice production. This includes modernizing milling machines, hiring field extension workers, and organizing farmers in cooperatives to address challenges such as cost inputs and opportunities for marketing.
